EP 182: Patrick Kent (PK) | Sunrun COO

In this episode of Electric People, host Ty Williams sits down with Sunrun Chief Operating Officer Patrick Kent (PK) for a masterclass on navigating massive career growth and leading with operational excellence. Drawing on his 12-year journey from a frontline sales representative to the COO of the clean energy leader, PK shares his transformative philosophy of acting as a "referee" rather than a "judge and jury" by establishing clear, unwavering expectations. The conversation dives deep into his high-stakes overhaul of Sunrun's operations, breaking down how he rejected "false trade-offs" (lazy binary thinking), structured the business around four core pillars, and bridged the historical gap between sales and operations. PK also outlines his ruthless problem-solving framework—tearing complex challenges apart, prioritizing ruthlessly, and engineering rollouts so simple they are impossible to miss—offering essential blueprints for anyone striving to build a bulletproof professional foundation.